Wheat Farmers Beef About Atkins Diet

Popular low-carbohydrate diets have helped millions of people lose weight. But U.S. grain farmers say that as a result, their own wallets are getting slimmer.

Countless Americans have been attracted to low-carb regimens, such as the Atkins diet, which allows people to eat a lot of meat and fat, contrary to the medical establishment's low-fat, high-carbohydrate mantra.

Using the Atkins plan, people can eat bacon, eggs, even prime rib - so long as they avoid refined carbohydrates such as sugar, corn syrup and white flour. The Atkins approach has been vindicated in recent months, when a half-dozen studies showed people on the diet lost weight without compromising their health.

But as low-carb diets have increased in popularity, flour consumption in the United States has plummeted to record lows. Domestic use of flour has dropped for two years running, something that has not happened since the 1950s, the government says.

Producers and milling companies believe the Atkins approach is the culprit.

"Flour consumption has been on a decline the last couple of years, and it seems to be predominantly because of an assault on carbohydrates," said Dave Green, director of quality control for ADM Milling in Overland Park, Kan.

"To me, it becomes anecdotal. I can't imagine you don't know anybody who hasn't lost weight on a high-protein diet," said Green, who also heads the U.S. Wheat Quality Council Board of Trustees.

The average person ate less than 139 pounds of flour last year, the first time in nine years that figure fell below 140 pounds, the Agriculture Department says.

Meat consumption is setting records. The average American eats 195 pounds of red meat, poultry or fish each year, the government says. That is 57 pounds more than in the 1950s.

Wheat is the most common source of flour for bread, pasta and other sources of complex carbohydrates. One 60-pound bushel of wheat makes 42 pounds of flour, which is enough for 73 one-pound loaves of bread.

"It's not our fault that 64 percent of the population is overweight," said Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research at Atkins Health and Medical Information Services.

"In order to lose weight, one of the ways is to cut back on carbohydrates. In order to do that, you need to cut back on white flour, white sugar and processed grains," she said.

Heimowitz pointed out that the Atkins diet encourages eating whole grains in certain phases of the program.

But consumption of whole grains is down, too. The government says most people's diets fall far short of the three daily servings recommended by the federal Food Guide Pyramid.

Kansas leads the nation in wheat production, followed closely by North Dakota. Oklahoma, Texas, Washington and Montana are the other top producers.

Judi Adams, a registered dietitian who heads the Wheat Foods Council, said perceptions are disturbing. Adams pointed out obesity rates are lower in Italy, Germany and China, which consume more pasta, bread or rice than Americans do.

"When you look at it from a commonsense approach, you cannot blame it on carbohydrates," she said. "We're eating too many calories."

Adams also pointed out that grain foods are enriched with vitamins, particularly folic acid, which is key to preventing serious birth defects.

"It is important that we increase our consumption of whole grains," she said. "But there have not been any studies that show refined carbs are harmful. That's absolutely not the truth, that refined carbs are bad for you."

By Libby Quaid